Welding and Metalwork Calculators
Sheet metal gauge chart.
Pick steel or aluminum and a gauge number to get thickness in inches and millimetres and weight per square foot, or enter a thickness to find the nearest gauge. Add a sheet size for its weight. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
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Result
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Answer first. On the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for sheet steel, 14 gauge is 0.0747 in (1.90 mm), 16 gauge is 0.0598 in (1.52 mm) and 18 gauge is 0.0478 in (1.21 mm). A higher gauge number means thinner metal, and the same number is a different thickness in steel and in aluminum.
Worked example
A 4 ft x 8 ft sheet of 16 gauge steel: 32 square feet x 2.5 lb per square foot = 80 lb (36.3 kg). Enter 48 x 96 in with the gauge set to 16 and the tool returns the same figure.
How it works
US Standard Gauge. 15 U.S.C. 206 fixes a weight per square foot for each gauge number (gauge 3 is 10 lb per square foot, gauge 18 is 2 lb) and a thickness that follows from 40 lb per square foot per inch of thickness. The tool reproduces that statutory table for gauges 3 to 31.
Manufacturers' Standard Gauge. Plain sheet steel is usually quoted on this gauge, which Machinery's Handbook bases on 41.82 lb per square foot per inch of thickness. The tool applies that figure to the same per-gauge weights, so 14 gauge is 3.125 / 41.82 = 0.0747 in.
Aluminum. Aluminum sheet gauge here is the Brown & Sharpe (American Wire Gauge) size, thickness = 0.005 in x 92 raised to (36 minus gauge) / 39. Weight uses an aluminum density of 2712 kg/m3. Mills often round aluminum thicknesses (14 gauge is listed as 0.063 in in some tables), so use the value on your supplier's quote.
Not covered. Galvanized and stainless sheet are not given their own columns: published tables for them differ from plain steel at the same gauge number, and mills vary. Gauge numbers are also discouraged by standards bodies, so order by decimal thickness and check the mill certificate.
Sheet metal gauge chart
| Gauge | Steel MSG in | Steel MSG mm | Steel lb/ft2 | US Std steel in | Aluminum in | Aluminum mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0.2391 | 6.07 | 10.000 | 0.2500 | 0.2294 | 5.83 |
| 4 | 0.2242 | 5.69 | 9.375 | 0.2344 | 0.2043 | 5.19 |
| 5 | 0.2092 | 5.31 | 8.750 | 0.2188 | 0.1819 | 4.62 |
| 6 | 0.1943 | 4.93 | 8.125 | 0.2031 | 0.1620 | 4.12 |
| 7 | 0.1793 | 4.56 | 7.500 | 0.1875 | 0.1443 | 3.66 |
| 8 | 0.1644 | 4.18 | 6.875 | 0.1719 | 0.1285 | 3.26 |
| 9 | 0.1495 | 3.80 | 6.250 | 0.1563 | 0.1144 | 2.91 |
| 10 | 0.1345 | 3.42 | 5.625 | 0.1406 | 0.1019 | 2.59 |
| 11 | 0.1196 | 3.04 | 5.000 | 0.1250 | 0.0907 | 2.30 |
| 12 | 0.1046 | 2.66 | 4.375 | 0.1094 | 0.0808 | 2.05 |
| 13 | 0.0897 | 2.28 | 3.750 | 0.0938 | 0.0720 | 1.83 |
| 14 | 0.0747 | 1.90 | 3.125 | 0.0781 | 0.0641 | 1.63 |
| 15 | 0.0673 | 1.71 | 2.813 | 0.0703 | 0.0571 | 1.45 |
| 16 | 0.0598 | 1.52 | 2.500 | 0.0625 | 0.0508 | 1.29 |
| 17 | 0.0538 | 1.37 | 2.250 | 0.0563 | 0.0453 | 1.15 |
| 18 | 0.0478 | 1.21 | 2.000 | 0.0500 | 0.0403 | 1.02 |
| 19 | 0.0418 | 1.06 | 1.750 | 0.0437 | 0.0359 | 0.91 |
| 20 | 0.0359 | 0.91 | 1.500 | 0.0375 | 0.0320 | 0.81 |
| 21 | 0.0329 | 0.84 | 1.375 | 0.0344 | 0.0285 | 0.72 |
| 22 | 0.0299 | 0.76 | 1.250 | 0.0313 | 0.0253 | 0.64 |
| 23 | 0.0269 | 0.68 | 1.125 | 0.0281 | 0.0226 | 0.57 |
| 24 | 0.0239 | 0.61 | 1.000 | 0.0250 | 0.0201 | 0.51 |
| 25 | 0.0209 | 0.53 | 0.875 | 0.0219 | 0.0179 | 0.45 |
| 26 | 0.0179 | 0.46 | 0.750 | 0.0187 | 0.0159 | 0.40 |
| 27 | 0.0164 | 0.42 | 0.688 | 0.0172 | 0.0142 | 0.36 |
| 28 | 0.0149 | 0.38 | 0.625 | 0.0156 | 0.0126 | 0.32 |
| 29 | 0.0135 | 0.34 | 0.563 | 0.0141 | 0.0113 | 0.29 |
| 30 | 0.0120 | 0.30 | 0.500 | 0.0125 | 0.0100 | 0.25 |
| 31 | 0.0105 | 0.27 | 0.438 | 0.0109 | 0.0089 | 0.23 |
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 206, Standard gauge for sheet and plate iron and steel (Cornell LII) (opened 2026-10-15)
- Sheet metal, gauge section citing Machinery's Handbook for the 41.82 lb/ft2 per inch basis (Wikipedia) (opened 2026-10-15)
- American wire gauge, diameter formula and ASTM B258 (Wikipedia) (opened 2026-10-15)
- Metals and Alloys - Densities (Engineering ToolBox) (opened 2026-10-15)
The gauge weights are from the statute table; the 41.82 figure is as quoted from Machinery's Handbook (27th ed.) in the Wikipedia article above, a secondary source. 1 lb per square foot = 4.8824 kg per square metre.
FAQ
What thickness is 14 gauge steel?
On the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge it is 0.0747 in (1.90 mm). On the US Standard Gauge in 15 U.S.C. 206 it is 0.0781 in (1.98 mm).
What thickness is 16 gauge and 18 gauge steel?
0.0598 in (1.52 mm) and 0.0478 in (1.21 mm) on the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge.
Why is aluminum 14 gauge thinner than steel 14 gauge?
Steel and aluminum use different gauge definitions. Brown & Sharpe 14 gauge aluminum is 0.0641 in, against 0.0747 in for 14 gauge sheet steel.
Which gauge standard should I pick for steel?
Use the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for ordinary sheet steel quoted by a supplier. The US Standard Gauge is the one written into 15 U.S.C. 206 and is included for reference.
Does the tool cover galvanized or stainless sheet?
No. Published gauge tables for those differ from plain steel and between mills, so check the thickness on your supplier's quote or mill certificate.